New U.S. streetcar systems are mostly bad -- with a lone exception, website says

Streetcars are becoming a popular choice among cities looking to expand public transportation, but the systems they put in place are falling far short of providing the on-time frequent service a thriving populace should expect, according to the news website CityLab.

The story goes on to point out how transit systems, streetcar or otherwise, should have minimum wait times of 15 minutes to allow customers to ignore schedules. Of the new systems examined, very few met that standard.

That appears to stand in stark contrast to the oldest running streetcar line in the country. CityLab writes:

Compare these services to the high standard set by the historic and very functional system in New Orleans, where the St. Charles line runs every 9 minutes during morning peak, every 8 minutes at midday, and every 10 minutes at night. Frequency matters.

And as New Orleans looks to expand its streetcar system, questions of efficiency, frequency and efficacy should be on the minds of everyone who lives in town or commutes in for work.